# Wineador Already



## MichiganSRT8 (Jan 9, 2016)

Alright guys well the bug hit me hard already and after finding about sites like cigar bid I realize I quickly am already outgrowing my 150t I started out with here. Anyways I am having a hell of a time keeping the RH correct, right now with only 50 sticks or so in my box with 69RH the RH is hardly at 61 and thats after 3 weeks after seasoning and correctly calibrates caliber 4. Im realizing that Utah is going to be a b*tch to keep these babies the way I want them. 

So heres my thought after searching thread after thread and please correct me if wrong or any comments.

Im thinking a wineador, in particular the Newair 280e, with 400 capacity should keep me good for a while. I know people will say coolidor or tupperdor for price alone, but cigars are like my car and I don't mind spending money on them. So again, I like the look of the desktop humidor so Ill be keeping that, mostly likely as a "ready to smoke box" and the wineador for aging my favorites (which I am already finding :grin2: ) But I do have a few questions:

1) I was under the impression that the exchange of air with a humidor (although small) is one of the key elements of what makes them successful in aging and keeping cigars properly. Is this not right? and with an airtight wineador I will just have to "burp" it every once and a while?

2) With such a big space, boveda will get expensive I see, so is the best play heartfelt beads? and from seeing others there is a carrying idea of how much, thinking 2 lbs split between top and bottom?

3) With my sticks most likely being dry from their storage before they went into the humi they could have dried out the humi a bit correct? from sucking moisture from the humi and bovedas. 

4) The humi passed the closure test (woosh) and dollar test and its been 3 weeks, I would have thought the RH would move over 61, could it be the structure is compromised in another way?

5) Any drawbacks to a wineador besides price?

Comments wanted greatly, especially by those who moved up to the wineador setup, personally the looks is great to me and when we move into our house its gunna be a nice classy look for the bar area if it goes as I have planned. 

Thanks again!


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## KenF13 (Jan 29, 2016)

Thinking about going new 280e also, living in AZ I'm concerned I could loss my entire 150ct humi.


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## MichiganSRT8 (Jan 9, 2016)

Yeah thats my worry, its so dry here I have a hard time even keeping out room humidified, let alone my humidor. This would be a godsend if it works out like people say they work. Just wondering what the drawbacks are to a complete seal, I would think mold of some kind of moisture becomes to prevalent but as long as that number is watched (I like around 65) and temp is keep by the unit itself after you set it I wouldn't think it would be a problem.


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## TonyB6255 (Dec 29, 2015)

You can get the Whynter or the Newaire and use kitty litter for RH control. I have the 250 ct Whynter and have 2 small containers of KL and the RH is dead on at 65%


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## MichiganSRT8 (Jan 9, 2016)

TonyB6255 said:


> You can get the Whynter or the Newaire and use kitty litter for RH control. I have the 250 ct Whynter and have 2 small containers of KL and the RH is dead on at 65%


I do remember seeing kitty litter is a good one as well from the threads, also read that there is a certain kind to get as well that that plays a role as well. What kind do you use in yours?


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## TonyB6255 (Dec 29, 2015)

MichiganSRT8 said:


> I do remember seeing kitty litter is a good one as well from the threads, also read that there is a certain kind to get as well that that plays a role as well. What kind do you use in yours?


 This is the one to use. Cigary on here is the expert and using his method worked great and is so easy. 
Exquisicat® Crystal Low Dust Formula Fragrance Free Cat Litter | Litter | PetSmart


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## KenF13 (Jan 29, 2016)

Is installing a fan necessary or will a new air 280e, be ok without?


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## tvJefe (May 9, 2013)

I have a fan in mine: CabCool 802 Lite Dual 80mm Fan Cooling Kit for Cabinet & Home Theaters

Set to run for 10 minutes every 2 hours using this: Robot Check

I also have an ETC: Robot Check

And I use 3 bricks of HBS beads: humiditybeadsystem

I have to recharge them once a month or so in the winter and twice as often in the summer.


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## JDom58 (Jul 27, 2015)

TonyB6255 said:


> You can get the Whynter or the Newaire and use kitty litter for RH control. I have the 250 ct Whynter and have 2 small containers of KL and the RH is dead on at 65%


Yep I have to agree, first with the slippery slope I was warned about when I first joined back in July of last year and was perfectly happy with my 20 count humidor.

second with recommending the Newaire 250 ct, I have 1/2 Lb of HF beads and a few Boveda 65% and it's perfect, actually 65% on the top shelf and 67% on the bottom shelf.

I love wood humidors and have 2 very nice ones and during the winter in Florida they can be kept at a sufficiently cool enough environment but in the summer it's a [email protected] keeping them under 76 degrees and the wineador takes all the worries out of making sure they stay cool.


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## Rondo (Sep 9, 2015)

MichiganSRT8 said:


> Im thinking a wineador, in particular the Newair 280e, with 400 capacity should keep me good for a while.


Just one? :vs_laugh:

What's your plan for after the Presidents Day Sales?


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## MichiganSRT8 (Jan 9, 2016)

Rondo said:


> Just one? :vs_laugh:
> 
> What's your plan for after the Presidents Day Sales?


haha just one for now yes haha. You must not be a car guy, have no idea how hard the mod/buy bug bites, I wouldn't be surprised if I wound up with a fully custom walk in humidor within a few years hahah. And yes I am crazy :grin2:


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## selpo (Nov 4, 2015)

You will love the Newair cc280e- I have one and it has been easy to maintain Rh so far- about 2 lbs of Exquisicat KL from Petsmart as others have said. 
One thing I would suggest is to get at least 3 drawers if you are like me and get many fivers to try out. Then you can remove one of the shelves and should have enough room for your boxes. I just ordered an extra drawer from Forrest and dividers for all the other drawers as well.
Also, you might as well budget for another Winedor as I bet you will have this one full in no time- I have had mine since December and it is almost full.


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## Old Smokey (Sep 13, 2013)

Any silica fragrance free KL is what you want. The only Exquisicat I could find locally was very small sand like grains, which I did not want. Ended up buying MiMi's at WalMart for $4 for a 5# bag. Put it in your wineador without adding any distiller water and after a few hours see what your hygrometer reads. Usually it will be around 60%. Give it 5 sprays from a cheap spray bottle filled with distiller water, close it up and check the Rh again in a few hours. If it raised to 63% and you are targeting 65rh, give it 4 more sprays and see where it's at in a few hours. When you have it at your desired Rh, load it with your cigars and you are well on your way. It won't take long to get everything dialed in and you will have a good idea when and how much DW to add when it needs attention.

Also, you really can't use too much KL, beads, or Bovedas. They are all 2 way, which means they will not only release moisture but also absorb excess. I use a large N'finity 170 bottle wine cooler and have 10# of KL placed in various levels. It is solid as a rock and recovers quickly after opening the door. Hope this helps.


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## demuths1770 (Jan 2, 2014)

the reason you are probably having issues with your current humidor is its lack of sticks. a seasoned humidor works its best when it is usually 75% or more full. the issue is the excess space in the humidor. as with a humidor purchase your gonna wanna go bigger than you think you are gonna need especially with a wine cooler that is going to be easy to maintain. if your looking at buying one that holds 400 cigars keep in mind you already have close to 100. that leaves room for 300ish which if you break it down thats buying 20 cigars a month and in a year it will be full (thees numbers dont include what you smoke but even bump it to 30 sticks a month smoking 10 a month and it still reasonable to fill up in a year or under) Also for a small wineador in the 400 count range you could still use boveda. for 200-250 cigars you need 2-3 packs so 4-6 packs would still be cheap for a small wine cooler especially if you bought a cube of boveda and used more than needed. i personally would want more drawers as i don't store in boxes so i would probably buy a scratch an dent unit and just get the drawers built to my needs


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## Rondo (Sep 9, 2015)

MichiganSRT8 said:


> You must not be a car guy, have no idea how hard the mod/buy bug bites.


Oh, I share your scars, Brother, and respect your path. 
VW MKVI, Autobahn, euro switch, debadged, Nightshaded lenses, euro console, b/u camera, Panzer skid plate, sigma 6 short shifter, M20 laser jammer and lots of vag.com tweeks. All self installed except for the APR flash. 
I'm fortunate to live where for three seasons my basement doesn't get higher than 67 and in the winter the kitchen pantry doesn't get above 65 or I'd be putting some winedor salesman's kid thru college.


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## TonyB6255 (Dec 29, 2015)

MichiganSRT8 said:


> haha just one for now yes haha. You must not be a car guy, have no idea how hard the mod/buy bug bites, I wouldn't be surprised if I wound up with a fully custom walk in humidor within a few years hahah. And yes I am crazy :grin2:


 I am not into "modding cars at all" My race cars over the years...


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## MichiganSRT8 (Jan 9, 2016)

TonyB6255 said:


> I am not into "modding cars at all" My race cars over the years...


Very nice! Good to find another more car guys, coming from Detroit to Utah very out of my element offroad haha. Not to derail the three but power plants were in each one of those?


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## MichiganSRT8 (Jan 9, 2016)

Its a brutal cycle, Im about to jump into rebuilding my SRT8 and wanted to get my big cigar purchases out of the way before I even turned a bolt cause its gunna get out of hand quick haha. Love the MKVI's btw, sounds like you've got yours set up to the 9's. During nights in "mexico" I've watched VW's walk quite a number of cars that weren't expecting them to be fast, there was and older one we use to roll with, look completely stock but ran 10's in the quarter, I love the sleepers.



Rondo said:


> Oh, I share your scars, Brother, and respect your path.
> VW MKVI, Autobahn, euro switch, debadged, Nightshaded lenses, euro console, b/u camera, Panzer skid plate, sigma 6 short shifter, M20 laser jammer and lots of vag.com tweeks. All self installed except for the APR flash.
> I'm fortunate to live where for three seasons my basement doesn't get higher than 67 and in the winter the kitchen pantry doesn't get above 65 or I'd be putting some winedor salesman's kid thru college.


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## MichiganSRT8 (Jan 9, 2016)

This is a great point, I'm probably only 1/2 to 3/4 full right now. Thanks to cigar bid that will change here very soon haha, but still yeah I might want to build up a bit more in the meantime so I can actually make use of the space in the wineador. Im just starting but buying a few boxes and more 5 packs to get my taste down so I think it happen quick but we'll see how the pocketbook feels about that haha.



demuths1770 said:


> the reason you are probably having issues with your current humidor is its lack of sticks. a seasoned humidor works its best when it is usually 75% or more full. the issue is the excess space in the humidor. as with a humidor purchase your gonna wanna go bigger than you think you are gonna need especially with a wine cooler that is going to be easy to maintain. if your looking at buying one that holds 400 cigars keep in mind you already have close to 100. that leaves room for 300ish which if you break it down thats buying 20 cigars a month and in a year it will be full (thees numbers dont include what you smoke but even bump it to 30 sticks a month smoking 10 a month and it still reasonable to fill up in a year or under) Also for a small wineador in the 400 count range you could still use boveda. for 200-250 cigars you need 2-3 packs so 4-6 packs would still be cheap for a small wine cooler especially if you bought a cube of boveda and used more than needed. i personally would want more drawers as i don't store in boxes so i would probably buy a scratch an dent unit and just get the drawers built to my needs


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## Coffaro (Feb 18, 2016)

So I have been lurking here for a little while and my new NewAir AW-280E will be arriving today. Do I need to seal to drain hole on the bottom? I do have some beads in my small cooler now but am going to give the cat litter a try. Thanks for all of the helpful posts....


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## selpo (Nov 4, 2015)

Coffaro said:


> So I have been lurking here for a little while and my new NewAir AW-280E will be arriving today. Do I need to seal to drain hole on the bottom? I do have some beads in my small cooler now but am going to give the cat litter a try. Thanks for all of the helpful posts....


I did not seal the drain and it is working fine.


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## selpo (Nov 4, 2015)

.... And my second 280e is on it's way as well :-D


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## Coffaro (Feb 18, 2016)

OK, thanks....

It just arrived.


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## selpo (Nov 4, 2015)

Coffaro said:


> OK, thanks....
> 
> It just arrived.


Great. I used a couple of shallow gladware dishes with a new sponge halfway soaked with DW and left them in the top and bottom for 2 days until humidity was about 70%, then removed the DW dishes and added 2lbs of Exquisicat KL from Petsmart at the bottom for 2 days and Rh stabilized to 65%- then on with filling it up with sticks


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## Coffaro (Feb 18, 2016)

I am going to do that once my drawers came in that I just ordered. I am going to keep my small one running until I get it all worked out. Thanks


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## MichiganSRT8 (Jan 9, 2016)

Well.....281e on its way hahah. Dang you slippery slope haha.


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## the1and0nly (Jan 28, 2016)

MichiganSRT8 said:


> Well.....281e on its way hahah. Dang you slippery slope haha.


Ahh you took the plunge! good stuff.:whoo:


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## JDom58 (Jul 27, 2015)

MichiganSRT8 said:


> Well.....281e on its way hahah. *Dang you slippery slope* haha.


You have no idea my friend, and you're only getting started :vs_laugh:


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## selpo (Nov 4, 2015)

selpo said:


> .... And my second 280e is on it's way as well :-D


Ordered a scratch & dent 280e to save a few bucks- BAD IDEA!!:surprise:

Door frame broken at the bottom, one of the rubber bushes at the bottom installed in the middle instead of the corner- shipping it right back and ordered a new one, so got to wait a few more days:frown2:


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## MichiganSRT8 (Jan 9, 2016)

selpo said:


> Ordered a scratch & dent 280e to save a few bucks- BAD IDEA!!:surprise:
> 
> Door frame broken at the bottom, one of the rubber bushes at the bottom installed in the middle instead of the corner- shipping it right back and ordered a new one, so got to wait a few more days:frown2:


You order from air n water?


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## selpo (Nov 4, 2015)

MichiganSRT8 said:


> You order from air n water?


Yes, but their customer service is great- return was a snap and got 25% off a brand new one, being shipped today- No more scratch & dent for me.


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## JDom58 (Jul 27, 2015)

selpo said:


> Ordered a scratch & dent 280e to save a few bucks- BAD IDEA!!:surprise:
> 
> Door frame broken at the bottom, one of the rubber bushes at the bottom installed in the middle instead of the corner- shipping it right back and ordered a new one, so got to wait a few more days:frown2:


Oh man sorry to hear about that, send that sucker back, it sounds like that should never have left their warehouse, scratch & dent should not include a broken frame.


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## MichiganSRT8 (Jan 9, 2016)

Weird to hear, I went with their scratch and dent because I have heard nothing but good stuff. Glad they took care of you at least with the discount code. Hope my 281 comes from them in good shape.


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## selpo (Nov 4, 2015)

MichiganSRT8 said:


> Weird to hear, I went with their scratch and dent because I have heard nothing but good stuff. Glad they took care of you at least with the discount code. Hope my 281 comes from them in good shape.


I would not worry about it. I have heard good things as well and I think mine was a one off and their remedial process was great.


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## MichiganSRT8 (Jan 9, 2016)

Well this happened today....










Cant wait to have it full up and holding properly.


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## gcbright (Dec 1, 2012)

Every time I see one of these threads, I thank god that the wine cooler I purchased is not suitable for conversion. I struggled for years before getting one and suddenly I felt like I had my refrigerator expanded as all the chilling wine transferred to it.

I love my cigar hobby, but I love my returned fridge space even more.


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## KenF13 (Jan 29, 2016)

Got the Ambient Weather WS-10 system in place yesterday. Great value, calibration was spot on! High recommended.


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## MichiganSRT8 (Jan 9, 2016)

Wanted to update this for those whose may be thinking of a wineador in the future.

I have my wineador now with a few boxes and loose sticks on the racks still (drawers/shelves in near future). With one pound of esquisicat in a shallow bake tray on the top row and a pound on the very bottom. Grabbed free cedar strips from the local B&M to try to create a bit of an aroma, and its working. Plugged the drain hole with electric tape and seems to not leak anymore, took about 3 days or spraying and spraying the KL to get it to the correct RH, but once I got it there it has held pat, definitely glad I went that route and was cheap AF.










Looks pitiful but hopefully it can get filled up soon.


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## selpo (Nov 4, 2015)

I have two Newair 280 and did not have to plug the drain hole or spritz DW on the KL, have about 2 lbs in the bottom, maintaining Rh like a champ- what I did notice is that the existing fan does need some empty space in front of it to move the air around, probably because it comes on only intermittently. I was going to use one for mostly singles with a 4 drawer, one shelf setup but regardless of where I placed the shelf, I did notice a 3-4 degree difference in temp as well as 4-6% diff in Rh from top to bottom. My other 280 with just 3 shelves had no issues, 65/65 or 64/66, but once I changed the setup to two drawers and two shelves each, with one drawer at the top and the other one at the bottom, numbers are back to ideal. 
If any of you are considering more than two drawers, it may not be a bad idea to add an extra fan on a timer as many here have done already- it will probably give you the freedom to not only have more drawers but also in any location within the wineador.
@MichiganSRT8, looks great and you did the right thing- get the space first, then enjoy the process of filling it up!

If you are like the rest of us, you will be looking for a 2nd Wineador in no time!


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## TravisNTexas (Aug 12, 2015)

MichiganSRT8 said:


> Wanted to update this for those whose may be thinking of a wineador in the future.
> 
> I have my wineador now with a few boxes and loose sticks on the racks still (drawers/shelves in near future). With one pound of esquisicat in a shallow bake tray on the top row and a pound on the very bottom. Grabbed free cedar strips from the local B&M to try to create a bit of an aroma, and its working. Plugged the drain hole with electric tape and seems to not leak anymore, took about 3 days or spraying and spraying the KL to get it to the correct RH, but once I got it there it has held pat, definitely glad I went that route and was cheap AF.
> 
> ...


Glad it's working out for you, and sorry about the broken unit. I was worried about my scratch and dent 281, but it turned out fantastic. Now I'm just waiting on Forrest to get me my drawers and shelves. I'm using Exquiscat too. About a pound in the bottom. Have not plugged the drain hole yet, but probably will once I get it loaded up.


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## MichiganSRT8 (Jan 9, 2016)

selpo said:


> If you are like the rest of us, you will be looking for a 2nd Wineador in no time!


Hahah oh I feel that is going to happen as well, would love a row of 281e's in the basement haha, actually a pyramid of them . Not sure the fiancee would be too in favor of that though haha


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## MichiganSRT8 (Jan 9, 2016)

TravisNTexas said:


> Glad it's working out for you, and sorry about the broken unit. I was worried about my scratch and dent 281, but it turned out fantastic. Now I'm just waiting on Forrest to get me my drawers and shelves. I'm using Exquiscat too. About a pound in the bottom. Have not plugged the drain hole yet, but probably will once I get it loaded up.


Luckily I was the one who got my first unit and its ok, mine is scratch and dent as well and there are a few problems but she will do just fine for the $120 I paid for it, can't go wrong there. Post up some pictures once you get your stuff from Forrest, love seeing those pictures, pushes me to make my order finally for those as well haha.


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## TravisNTexas (Aug 12, 2015)

MichiganSRT8 said:


> Luckily I was the one who got my first unit and its ok, mine is scratch and dent as well and there are a few problems but she will do just fine for the $120 I paid for it, can't go wrong there. Post up some pictures once you get your stuff from Forrest, love seeing those pictures, pushes me to make my order finally for those as well haha.


I'll start a build thread when I get a chance. I took a lot of pictures of the 281 and a lot of pictures when I received and calibrated my WS-10. Just have not had time to put a thread together. I ended up getting my 281 for $154 - some discount automatically applied - some discount for clicking on the valentines day banner. Ended up $116 delivered! That was just too good not to pull the trigger on! :smile2:


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## vtxrecruiter (May 2, 2014)

Just go to Home Depot.com, order a Newair cc300. It has shelves and drawers for cigars already installed. Get some kitty litter or beads for moisture leveling, and since you are in Utah, get a small Hydra or oasis or humicare, set and forget. This is my exact setup. Rock solid in winter dry days, and summer wet days.


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## MichiganSRT8 (Jan 9, 2016)

vtxrecruiter said:


> Just go to Home Depot.com, order a Newair cc300. It has shelves and drawers for cigars already installed. Get some kitty litter or beads for moisture leveling, and since you are in Utah, get a small Hydra or oasis or humicare, set and forget. This is my exact setup. Rock solid in winter dry days, and summer wet days.


?? Not sure what you're trying to accomplish here haha. I have my setup done and holding as referred to in the thread? you maybe not read all the way to the end?

Also I would recommend staying away from an automated humidification system. Although nice, there have been documented times on here when they went nuts and RH went crazy. With the KL setup that is a bit redundant anyway, also much more expensive but to each their own.

btw, jump over to the introduction section and introduce yourself to everyone, be good to start there first!


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## the1and0nly (Jan 28, 2016)

MichiganSRT8 said:


> Hahah oh I feel that is going to happen as well, would love a row of 281e's in the basement haha, actually a pyramid of them . Not sure the fiancee would be too in favor of that though haha


When I stacked my 12 bottle on top of the 281 it had issues keeping RH up. I'm guessing the heat from the 281 exhaust was causing the smaller Emerson unit to run a lot more which was messing with RH.

Just something to keep in mind with the stacking thoughts. I wish it didn't do that because it made a lot more sense from a layout stand point.


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## MichiganSRT8 (Jan 9, 2016)

the1and0nly said:


> When I stacked my 12 bottle on top of the 281 it had issues keeping RH up. I'm guessing the heat from the 281 exhaust was causing the smaller Emerson unit to run a lot more which was messing with RH.
> 
> Just something to keep in mind with the stacking thoughts. I wish it didn't do that because it made a lot more sense from a layout stand point.


Good point, yeah really if I do its going to be a nice build in with false back for space. idk gotta get my drawers from forrest ordered before and will them up and then ill look at another haha.


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## the1and0nly (Jan 28, 2016)

MichiganSRT8 said:


> Good point, yeah really if I do its going to be a nice build in with false back for space. idk gotta get my drawers from forrest ordered before and will them up and then ill look at another haha.


Right on. I'm hoping mine ship soon because I'm really tight on space and have another 3 boxes incoming Lol. Might have to put the racks back in until they get here.

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